Rogue
by SkullszEyes
Summary: Evan is a lone hacker, finding himself in a precarious position after a job went wrong, now he has to escape his pursuers, and to figure out who to trust in the world he lives in. — Several BBS members included.
1. It all begins

Sometimes when you look at the world, the world doesn't look back at you.

 **.**

 **.**

 _Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck. I fucked up. I fucked up._

Evan stood, shoving the chair back as he stared hard at the screen. He tore the USB from the computer and tucked it into his pocket. He reached for a metal baseball bat sitting beside his desk, gripping the handle, and without hesitating, he smashed his computer over and over again until it was nothing but a broken screen with the keys dragged from its sockets of the keyboard. He stumbled backwards in the dark room, almost falling over his chair before grabbing a duffel bag from his closet and shoving clothes inside.

He grabbed his phone on the table in the kitchen and dialed a number. He put it on speaker before heading over to the cupboard where he took out a drill and tore apart his console.

He stopped when he heard a sound and looked back over to his phone.

"Lui?" he called.

"Yeah?"

Evan dropped the drill and walked over to his phone. He picked it up with a shaky hand, and reached for his bag, zipping it up.

"I fucked up, I fucked up, fuck sakes." He slipped his shoes on and walked out the front door, making sure to lock it before heading to the staircase.

"What do you mean you fucked up?" Lui asked, yawning.

"You know that guy...Mark...Mercer...I think that's his name—"

"Yeah, that's his name."

"I hacked into his thing and...it scanned me."

"It scanned you?"

Evan gritted his teeth as he stepped from the staircase and walked to the back alley. "Yes. I got scanned...okay...I didn't know that was going to happen and fuck...why didn't you tell me that was going to happen?"

"I didn't know it would," Lui said, "I thought maybe you would have been careful."

Evan stopped by the garbage bin. "I _was_ careful. Destroyed my whole fucking computer, and now some asshole fixer will show up and fuck me over."

"You're already fucked over...you should get rid of your phone."

Evan sucked in a breath, nodding to himself. "Yeah...I-I am going to do that. Fuck. Fuck!"

"Okay, come over, we'll deal with it when you get here."

"Yeah. Okay. See you soon." He hung up and dropped his phone on the ground, then he proceeded to stomp on it a few times before walking off down the street.

It was six in the morning, he was working all night, hoping he wouldn't get caught through the extensive firewalls. He had to find the guy anyway through his many acquaintances, he knew how people were when they wanted to hide their trails, and now look where it brought him, to a place where he didn't want to be in.

It happened so quick, in a blink of an eye, the message flagged him and he knew what was happening. The calm came first, washing over him before he started to move, shaking hands, thoughts running through his head, then the sounds went quiet.

It was the first time this happened.

What the fuck did Lui get him into?

Shit.

Evan walked down the alley and took a left. The streets were dead and soon it'll be full with people going to work or even school. His days like normalcy faded out a long time ago, not like he ever wanted to go back to it.

This was his life when things took a turn and Lui gave him a decent enough job to pick himself back up.

Since then, he'd done things for Lui, helped him out when he needed too. And this was meant to be an easy job. Unlikely now that it hit a wall.

He was anonymous.

A trail leading to nothing.

That was all he was.

No past and certainly no future.

No one was meant to know who he was and what he was capable of.

No one.

What a magnificent lie he told himself so he could close his eyes at night with no paranoia juking him out.

Fuck sakes.

What the hell was he doing?

Evan walked down another street, headed through an alley, continued onward with nothing else on his mind. He didn't let paranoia hound him, it would be a waste of time, and a waste of energy.

He needed a plan.

He needed to speak with Lui and find out what the hell is going on.

In ten minutes, he came to an apartment building that didn't look interesting. Brick red building with an old fashioned door, black iron wrought fences on the sides where a parking lot sat, and the door had a buzzer on the side that didn't look like it was replaced in decades.

He pressed a button and waited.

After a minute of waiting and excessively pressing the button, Lui's voice came from the comm, "If this is Reagan, can you get the fuck out of here!"

Evan scowled, placing his finger on the buzzer. "It's me, you asshole, open up."

"Right, right...sorry."

The door clicked and Evan pushed it open. He climbed the stairs to the third floor and walked down the hallway that was stuffy and smelled like something stale. He knocked on a door and heard the rustling sounds of a bag filled with bottles before the door was yanked open.

Lui stood on the other side, a crooked smile on his lips, he wore a simple white shirt with a stain, and ripped washed out jeans, no socks covered his feet.

"Hey, come in."

"You really need a girlfriend or someone to clean your apartment," Evan said, closing the door and stepping over the garbage bag, a few discarded clothes, a broken glass that had a dry bloody footmark, an old banana peel. "This is disgusting."

"Yeah, yeah, get over here," Lui said, sitting down on his couch that was relatively cleaned off where his laptop sat on the coffee table. A slurpee sat beside it, half full of cream soda and pepsi.

Evan sat down beside him. The screen consisted of a camera system on one tab, another on a few open sites, one was illegal, the other was a chatroom, and an online game that was put on pause.

"Are you going to tell me who this Mark Mercer is that you got me in shit with?" Evan asked, nudging Lui in the side.

Lui hummed, taking off the illegal tab. "Yeah. He's from an old group called Messenger Assault, all people fled several years ago, and he stayed a bit with Dead Eye, and last I heard from him by a reliable source of mine, he wants to revive MA. But who knows, the guy was crazy as it is."

Evan never heard of any of the groups before.

"And you wanted me to hack him?"

"For information," Lui said, shrugging, "I didn't think he would scan you, he was never the paranoid type."

"Guess he is," Evan said, leaning back against the couch, arms crossed. "Now what? What do I expect from this?"

"Scared?"

"I've never been scanned before, so yeah, maybe I'm a little worried in who this Mark Mercer is that is so damn important for you to let me hack him. You should've told me this was going to happen."

"Like I said," Lui pulled up another tab, this had a chat room in it, he signed in and there were already people on it, no faces, simple names and numbers, barely any coherent words, and as Lui typed, his own code was implemented into the text, "I didn't know this was going to happen. Mark hasn't been hit in a long time, so I didn't expect the hit. Now that it has, we be careful about who we associate with."

"Yeah," Evan said, nodding his head, "where do I go exactly?"

"I think you should go see Brock," Lui suggested.

"And do what?"

"Hold out, you destroyed your computer, your phone, and you got the information I asked for, right?" he asked.

Evan nodded, he took out the USB from his pocket and passed it to Lui. He placed it down beside his drink and picked up his phone that sat beside him.

"I'll get a hold of him and he'll meet you down the block."

"And what will _you_ do?"

Lui shrugged. "I'll clean up your mess."

Evan rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Lui."

"No problem."

Evan got up from the couch and stepped over the mess to the front door. He didn't look back as he left, and the hall was empty with his thoughts. He didn't even know what was on the USB that Lui wanted, but he seemed calm about it, maybe things weren't going to shit, maybe everything will be okay.

He didn't know, it was just a thought, something to make him feel better about this situation.

He just had to lay low for awhile until Lui can tell him that he can come out of hiding. He didn't know when that'll be, but it's all he can do for now.

* * *

 **Notes:** I wrote a similar story like this on Fictionpress a long time ago. I finished it with two connecting stories, and a third about to be written, but I was purging my work and all three were deleted. Since I like the concept of these stories, I'll write them again, but this time, this story will have all three stories combined into it. :)

Evan is a little naive about the world he lives in, mostly because he rarely speaks to other people, and doesn't want to be identified, but because of the situation he is placed in, he'll have to do that.

I hope you enjoy.

 **Reviews are appreciated. No flames or bashing please, they will be deleted. x)**


	2. Definition

Evan blinked a few times, it was bright and hot out, he can feel the sweat on his skin, making him want to itch. He stood in front of a phone booth, playing with the numbers and hanging up on anyone who randomly answered.

Lui told him that Brock would meet him, but it's been fifteen minutes. He was thinking of trying to find someplace else to lie low, but the sound of low screeching tires burning on asphalt made him turn to see a shiny black car driving towards him and coming to a quick stop.

It wasn't just Brock in the car, but a girl named Rane, he met her a few times and knew she was one of Lui's intel's for drug trafficking.

"Took you long enough," Evan said, dropping the phone on the receiver.

Brock wiped the sweat from his forehead, scowling. "Don't complain, and get in the car."

Evan grabbed the handle and pulled it open. There was a box on one of the seats, another on the floor, he pushed a bag to the side and closed the door. Brock didn't waste any time driving down the street.

"Lui briefed me on your exploits," Brock said. "Got ran out of your house by a failed hack, how miraculous coming from you."

Evan stared out the window, "He never does know how to shut his mouth when it comes to stuff like this."

"He only likes to keep these types of things within his inner circle," Brock said, turning up the AC, "if he told anyone else, they'd sell you out."

He was grateful that Lui knows how to stay under the radar. What bothers Evan is his own incompetence. It was one job, an easy one, and Lui would have paid him enough for a few months of living in his crap apartment. He pulled a thread a little too hard, and everything came apart. Now Evan has no idea what to do.

It was only his computer that was scanned, but most of the files within were corrupted. He tried to salvage them before destroying the computer, but everything he worked for in the last four years went out like a light. Lui's information was saved, however, and he at least hopes Lui will pay him for the shit he went through.

Rane, with her black short—obviously self cut—hair turned to look at him, a smile on her lips. She was the same age as them, a thin body with pale skin. She had green eyes, and a warmth about her that Evan didn't understand.

How could a girl like her be employed by Lui, or even associated with him?

She didn't seem like the type to traffick drugs throughout the city, or even supply them from what he heard. There was no sign of her ever taking drugs, or even a simple clue that she was corrupted by the life they lived. She seemed normal, a girl that goes to school, grabs a job, works herself to the top, and still manages to smile at all the bullshit that came her way.

"Was abandoning your apartment an option?" she asked.

"I had too," Evan told her, "they were going to find me."

"And you thought Lui was going to save you?"

Evan shrugged, looking out the window at the passing buildings. "I have no one else to turn too."

"That's terrible," she said, shaking her head, her smile fading from her lips, "to have no one else to turn to but Lui."

"Better than relying on others," Brock said, glancing at Evan in the rearview mirror before making a quick turn down another street, "Lui isn't known to be an asshole, nor has he ever left people for dead."

Since meeting Lui a few years ago, he has never done anything that harmed Evan, or anyone that stepped into his midst. He was fair, friendly, and less cruel than Evan took him for while dealing with the people he worked with.

Brock himself is hired by contractors if they need a driver during missions, and he even handles supplying used cars for less identification and consequence. It was easier getting away when there were many like them already made. He worked for Lui longer than Evan, and like Rane, he seems emotionally stable, or maybe even numb to the violence that surrounds him.

Brock slowed the car in front of a brown house with a white roof. Some of the paint on the front was peeling, there was a small carving on the side with a symbol of one of the gangs in the city. A man was sitting on the front steps, wiping away sweat from his pink skin caused by the heat.

"He's here too?" Evan asked, stepping from the car.

"Yeah, he heard about Nogla, and didn't want to be left out of the loop again," Brock said, shutting the door.

Evan followed Brock and Rane towards the man. "What happened to Nogla?" Daithi de Nogla, or in other words, David is a close friend to Lui, and acts as Lui's informant. Out of anyone, he knows Lui before they both got pulled into this lifestyle.

"Some asshole drugged him," Brian said, rolling back his shoulders under his white sweat stained shirt. A weapon dealer who was employed by a string of contractors, including Lui. He was younger than most, and was probably an apprentice of some kind.

Evan frowned, he was unlikely to know anything about Lui's contacts, he kept to himself, but he was quite close to Nogla and spoke to him occasionally when he saw him. "Did anyone find out who it was?"

"No one knows. He was at a party and someone poured the drug into his cup while he wasn't looking," Brock said, sitting beside Brian.

Rane stepped past them and walked into the house.

"It's a new drug too," Brian said, taking out his phone and waving it at Evan, a picture sat inside of blue and purple pastel colored dust on a glass table already set in rails, a small liquid bottle of the same colors sat beside it, "some people call it Daydream, it's being supplied secretly to the club owners and drug dealers in the city."

"How do you know that?" Evan asked, wiping sweat off his face and stepping into the shadow of the house to keep the sun off him.

"Lui knew about it first, before telling Rane, then he told us," Brock said. "You know how Lui is, he always knows something, and no one keeps anything from him."

One of these days, Evan wants to see the confusion on his face. He doubts it, but he wants to see it anyway.

"Why does Lui care about Daydream?" He knows why, but he wants a definite answer, something that could mean something else than the obvious.

"He's buying ten percent of it off the club owners," Rane said, holding a beer in her hand. "He's giving some to me, and a few others."

"Didn't know he was into drugs." Besides information, weapons, and underground illegality, what else could he be into?

"He's not," Brock said, reaching for Rane who passed her beer to him, he placed it to the side of his forehead, "it's a ploy to get information from the club owners, including what they're selling in their area."

"Meaning, Lui just wants to stay on top of everyone else. He's probably going to send a sample to his _friends_ who live in another city," Brian said, shaking his head.

That reminds him, and Evan who doesn't want to be reminded by his own failures needs to ask the question. Lui gave him a mission of his own to conduct while he was doing something entirely different. He was quite curious of why that is.

"Do you know who Mark Mercer is?"

"The dude from MA?" Brian asked, staring at his phone.

"Who?" Brock asked, glancing up at Rane who shrugged, before looking back at Evan, "Is that the guy that caught you hacking into his computer?"

"Lui is vague when he wants to be," Rane muttered as she took a sip of her beer.

Brian looked up at Evan, eyes wide and mouth falling open. "He...caught you?"

Evan sighed, gritting his teeth. This isn't what he wanted to discuss, he wanted to know what Lui was up too with everyone else. "He didn't catch me, he hacked my computer while I was taking information from him."

"That's the definition of being caught, Evan. How can you not know who is hacking you?" Brian asked.

The code came to him, it wasn't that hard to get in. A few simple passwords and a back door. He did stuff like this before he was found and employed by Lui. Growing up, his dad worked on cars, while he worked on computers. Pulling them apart, fixing them, than tearing them from the inside with their own drastic code he already implemented. He made it by his own hands, over and over again, until he knew what he was doing.

His skill only improved with Lui's help, and Mark Mercer was meant to be an easy target.

"I'm not stupid—"

"Apparently you are," Brian said, tilting his head to the side, and staring at his phone again, "is that why Lui wanted Brock to come get you? Your apartment was compromised and he had nowhere for you to stay at?"

" _His_ apartment would be punishment enough," Evan said, thinking about the strange smell that was of stagnant water and rotten food, including the broken glass that looked completely untouched, and the garbage bag at the front. He did not want to know how Lui's bedroom looked.

Brock and Rane both nodded in equal disgust.

"Mercer is one of the oldest members of MA. He was possibly a founder before Dead Eye decided to appear, including Dusk," Brian said, placing his phone into his pocket and standing up. "We should get a drink."

"It's five in the morning," Brock said, glaring at Brian.

"I don't care, we can go see Luke, his club should be open."

Evan rubbed his burning eyes. "You guys can go. I haven't slept all night."

"Fine," Brian said, "we can go when you wake up."

Evan squeezed past them up the stairs. "That'll probably be at seven at night."

"That's good enough for us. Lui might need our help anyway," Brian said, following him into the house.

Rane lead Evan to a room where she told him he won't be disturbed. He nodded and once the door closed, he took off his backpack, dropped it onto the floor, before taking his shoes off and slumping on the bed. He hugged a pillow and fell asleep.


	3. Spider's Web

Evan woke up around eight at night, the sun was still shining, but from the orangish glow and baby blue, it was starting to descend. He was a bit more focused on something else while he sat in Rane's house in the living room, a laptop sat on the wooden glass coffee table, and two mugs placed beside it, both steaming hot with coffee that was made a few minutes ago.

A dark haired male with green eyes, wearing a blue shirt and faded black jeans wrinkled his nose, and sat back. "Yeah, I'm not hacking into that."

Evan frowned, looking at Pierce, Rane's older brother who arrived an hour before he woke up. He also worked for Lui, one of his many hackers in the city. He heard Pierce owed Lui a debt, whatever it was, no one wanted to share the details. Not like Evan cared. "Why?"

"It's a virus," he stated, picking up his mug and taking a slow sip.

"How do you know?"

Pierce shrugged, disinterested, "It's quite obvious by the text. Big red flag, practically luring in anyone who doesn't know when to spot one. You might want to do something else than trying to hack into this site."

Evan looked at the screen and frowned. "I only wanted the files they have."

"Yeah, well this asshole really knows how to bring them in, legal downloading and plastic chips, wonderful for this day and age, and people say we don't live in a cyberpunk society."

Evan closed the laptop with a sigh. He used to steal information from certain people around the world, most of it he had created back doors to retrieve this vital data, unfortunately it looks like a few of them caught on that they were being hacked.

"Wonderful, now what do I do?" he asked, leaning back against the dark green couch with a multi colored knitted blanket covering it.

Brian stopped before them, holding his own mug in his hand. "We can go to Pulse, say hi to an acquaintance of ours."

Pierce groaned. "You're going there. You do know the guy who owns that place also works for Lui."

Evan and Brian both arched a brow.

"How many people work for him?" Brian asked, shaking his head. "It's getting ridiculous. Soon you're going to tell me he has people who works at grocery stores and fast food joints."

"He does have someone working at a fast food joint," Pierce said, placing his mug down, "it's the reason why he goes there, he gets his food for free."

Evan sulked. He knew the place that Pierce was indicating, but it still bothered him that even though he met with Lui a few times, he didn't know he had so many people wrapped around his finger.

Rane walked in, looking between the three of them but stopping on Evan. "A package was delivered, it's from Lui." She passed him a small box with a tan colored paper covering it. His name was on the front, including Lui's, a little drawing of a monkey was beside it.

He frowned and ripped the paper, then he opened the box. Sitting inside was a thin black phone, it looked brand new, a white cord, and a small black USB flash drive sitting beside it.

"He always paid back what he's due," Pierce said. "And he makes sure his contacts are always well supplied with stuff they lose during a job."

Evan nodded, he turned the phone on and noticed most of the apps were exactly what his were on his previous phone, everything was identical. He picked up the flash drive and tucked it into his pocket.

"He's fast," Evan muttered.

"Do you really want to work for someone who isn't?" Brian asked, he grabbed the box and the ripped paper from Evan and walked into the kitchen to dispose of it.

"Are you going to Pulse still?" Rane asked.

Evan sighed, "Probably, I'm not exactly sure." He didn't know why they'd want to go to a club. Not like he enjoyed going to places like those, spending time alone by himself is what he enjoyed, and if he had a choice, he would stay in Rane's house until he relocated somewhere else. He was actually thinking of leaving the city. It was a better idea than staying.

Brian left his mug in the kitchen and was stretching his arms when he walked in. "Let's go. We can say hello to some friends, and dance until the sun comes up."

Evan frowned, he didn't like that idea. "I guess it would be better than staying in one place."

"Exactly," Brian said, grinning, "who knows if Mr. Mercer hired his own fixers to hunt you down. A club will hide your whereabouts."

It wasn't an ideal plan, but it was a plan. "Alright. Fine."

Rane smiled, "I'm coming too." She raced to her bedroom, while Evan stood from the couch.

"You're not coming?" he asked Pierce.

"Go to a club?" Pierce asked dryly, "not in my life. Do be careful, Pulse also supplies Daydream, and you never know what kind of idiot will pour it in your drink."

Evan nodded. He forgot about Daydream, and since it was a liquid based drug from the picture Brian showed them, he was quite nervous of the drinks that were being supplied at the club.

"Don't ruin our night," Brian said, heading toward the front door and calling for Brock.

Evan stepped around the coffee table and followed him outside. Brock was standing at the curve of the sidewalk, talking to someone in a light blue car that looked quite old from the new cars in the city. He figured they stopped making those kinds, but not many people can afford a brand new car.

"What is he doing?" Evan asked Brian who was leaned against the railing.

"From the looks of it, he's either getting information, or he's selling information. Who knows when it comes to Brock, but one of these days he's going to sell the wrong type and he'll disappear off the face of the earth, or get shot in his hospital bed."

"I thought he was a driver," Evan said, confused.

"Oh, he is, but he also dipped his fingers into other professions. Lui got him into this one several years ago when he needed to hold something off for a client. Brock was always a proficient worker when it comes to shit like this."

Lui only tells certain people his secrets, and he manages to give new jobs to the people in his spider's web. Evan was glad that he was far from the center, that he's the outer layer of Lui's vast operation, but it also made him expendable if something were to happen to his side of the web.

Brock waved at the guy in the car as they drove off. Then he turned and made his way back to Brian and Evan. He was smiling, and it made Evan feel uncertain.

"Is it just the three of us?" Brock asked, pulling out his car keys from his pocket.

"No," Rane said, sliding past Evan and Brian, "I'm coming too, and since I'm the only girl in the group, I'm getting shotgun."

Evan touched his pocket and felt his wallet. He'd need ID to get in and to buy himself a drink, and with the feel of his new phone and the flash drive, he was ready to see what the night has in store for him.

He got into the back seat of the car with Brian, and Brock, who seemed his skills came from street racing jerked the car backwards and stopped before it hit another car sitting across from the house. He chuckled to himself, apologizing to them before turning the car and driving down the block.

"How much do you know the guy that works at Pulse?" Evan asked Brian, his shoulders tense from Brock's driving.

"Luke? He owns Pulse, opened it up a year or two ago."

"He works for Lui?"

"Yeah, I guess...he's kind of sketchy. Lui rarely talks about him, although he rarely talks about anyone, that's probably why we barely know who works for him. He likes to keep his secrets, and if he doesn't want to tell anyone, then it's his choice."

"I don't really know Lui that much, we talked a few times during this entire year," Evan said, looking out the window. Now that he knew a bit more about Lui, it bothered him, who else could be in his spider's web?

"Don't overthink it," Rane said, turning slightly in her seat. "Lui wouldn't cut anyone off, he hasn't in the past."

"Maybe it's people we don't know, because of how many secrets he's kept," Brian suggested, looking like he ate a bad jelly bean.

"It's not our problem if he did," Brock said, his voice flat, "all that matters is that we work for him."

Evan narrowed his eyes, but instead of saying anything, he stared out the window. There was still something that bothered him. When he hacked Mark Mercer, his computer was late on telling him he was being hacked. It was four minutes and forty-two seconds before he destroyed it. Meaning that Mark Mercer managed to steal information from him, including corrupting his files at the same time.

He took what he wanted and gave it to Lui, but Mark Mercer might have something of his. And if he wasn't careful, he would find out what he stole and Mercer might use it against him. There was a lot he did in the past, and he didn't want it coming to the surface any time soon.


	4. Pulse

Luke knew Brian, Brock, and Rane. And somehow knew him as well. Luke smiled at them when they walked into his club, he was tall with blond hair and a thick beard, he was quite muscular under his white tank-top. He looked young, but Brock told him that he was actually in his early thirties. Luke greeted and lead them deeper into his nightclub, Pulse. It was a large warehouse in the old industrial district on the east side of the city. They walked along the narrow hallway, posters were plastered everywhere on the walls, including writing and spray paint.

They found themselves at the bartender who made their preferred drinks, on the house, courtesy of Luke.

"I heard you got a share of Daydream," Rane said, leaning close to Luke who gave her a nod.

"Received it early this afternoon. I sold a bit of it to Lui, who was quite adamant about it, and I didn't mind the extra cash. He's quite generous."

Rane nodded. "That's Lui for you."

Evan sat on the bar stool, sipping his drink and watching the flashing lights. He moved a bit to the music. Trying his hardest to enjoy the night, he was still paranoid about what happened this morning. He hoped what everyone said about Lui was true, and that he could protect him.

He had to be careful, even how much he'd like to trust the people he's with, there was something that grew with him over the years. Distrust. Just because they smiled, gave hima place to sleep, and offered him alcohol, doesn't mean they have good intentions. Trust came a long way, and once it's gone, it's gone.

He spent most of the night drinking, and ordering more. He watched a girl walk over to Brian and ask him to dance with her, he smiled, looking quite drunk himself and wandered into the crowd with her. Brock stayed beside him, while Rane went with Luke to see his stash and possibly talk about stuff Evan didn't want to know about.

A red wavy haired girl appeared from the crowd, her nose was pierced, and her eyes were dark, lined with eyeliner and mascara. She wore a black crop top with a red leather jacket, and black jeans with black heels. She didn't look interested in the dance floor, and to his surprise, she walked right up to Brock with a look of intent on her face. From the way Brock was, who sat up right away and placed his half empty cup down on the counter at the sight of her.

"Amie," he greeted, a wary smile appeared on his face.

"Where's Rane?" she asked, or in other words, demanded.

"Upstairs with Luke."

Amie turned on her heel and headed for the stairs across the dancefloor. She faded into the crowd of people, and from what it looked like, she was pushing people off of her as she went.

Brock reached for his cup again, frowning at the crowd that began to mold together once more. "That's Amie," Brock said, leaning toward Evan to speak to him more clearly, "Rane's girlfriend."

Evan nodded. "She scares you?"

Brock smiled, "She scares a lot of people. I'm not sure what she does, but she's one of Lui's most loyal subordinates in his massive spider's web. She does things for him that would freak anyone out."

More secrets hidden within people with dark eyes and darker intents. Evan sipped his drink, he'd never understand this world he lives in. Not with how it is. As the night wore on, and the alcohol was surely getting to him, all his worries seem to slip away.

"You got an admirer," Brock says, leaning close, jutting his chin toward a man standing across the dance floor. There were moments where a group hid him from view, but when they moved away, Evan spotted him.

A male with broad shoulders beneath the blue sweater he wore, his face slightly obscured by the hood that covered his face, but the lights flashing revealed that he was indeed watching him. He held a drink in his hand, while the other was tucked inside his pocket.

It was a strange feeling, being watched.

Evan wasn't great with people, it was the reason why he avoided social interactions. He wasn't sure how he was meant to talk to them, was he supposed to smile, lie to them that he was into exactly what they were into, or simply say nothing. The only reason why he got along with Brock, Brian, and Rane was because of their undeniable tie to Lui.

He was amongst them inside his massive spider web. Another subordinate called forth to do a task that no one else would know about. Lui really knew how to keep track of everyone and their secrets.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that," Evan told Brock, taking a sip of his drink.

Relationships was also another factor he avoided. He barely spent time with anyone, he wasn't great with romance, with kissing, or touching, or even expressing his feelings. He was okay with alcohol in his system where it could drive whatever sexual impulse that was inside of him, that could lead him to whoever was okay with kissing him. If he wasn't wanted, he would leave. There was no point in being with someone who didn't want him.

"You don't have too," Brock said, an easy smile slipping on his face, "your stalker is coming over here."

Evan frowned at the choice of word he used, and when he turned, Brock was right. He was coming this way, his eyes stayed fixed on him until the second he stood a foot away. A smile on his lips as he took off his hood to reveal the short dark hair beneath. He was quite handsome beneath the flashing lights of the club.

"I'm Jonathan," he introduced, setting his glass down beside Evan's. "I don't mean to be a creep...watching you from afar."

"Couldn't have fooled me," Evan replied, cringing at his flat tone.

Jonathan didn't looked fazed. "I haven't seen you here before."

"Evan doesn't like parties or clubs," Brock interjected, a silent nod at revealing his name to this particular stranger.

Evan frowned at him, but looked back at Jonathan. "Brock is right. I don't party, I'm actually leaving the city tomorrow afternoon. So you won't be seeing me again." He decided now that this was what he was wanted. If he could get away, change his occupation, become less than what he was, he could simply forget this entire ordeal.

Jonathan nodded, smiling. "I wouldn't mind getting to know you for the next hour or so."

Evan arched a brow, and he could see Brock grinning from beside him. "You got a cigarette?"

"Yeah." He took out a pack and popped out a thin white stick and passed it to Evan.

Evan stared at it, and said, "Let's go outside, it's fucking loud in here."


	5. Drunks Make Mistakes

They walked a block from Pulse to get away from the people who were drunk or on something in front of the building. They were trying to get into the club, but the line was moving slow. Several were leaving Pulse, and making their way down the street, their laughs echoing.

Evan didn't care. The alcohol numbed his body, he was lighter than a feather, spinning in circles in the middle of the street. He liked the feeling of freedom. That he could do whatever he wanted, and it wouldn't matter to him what people thought.

"You want a drag?" Jonathan asked, standing on the sidewalk, watching him. Since they left, Jonathan was silent. He offered Evan his cigarette's, and to his delight, it was a full pack. He always crave cigarettes when he drank alcohol. And regret smoking them in the morning when all he could taste was ash.

Evan stopped, a laugh left his lips as he stumbled toward Jonathan who caught him from falling. His hands on his arms to keep him up. "Yeah. Sorry."

"You're drunk," Jonathan states.

Evan took the cigarette from his fingers and placed it to his lips. He sucked in, letting it stay before blowing it out.

He smiled up at Jonathan who gave him a soft smile in return. He was handsome, pretty even, or sexy. He didn't know which one, he could be all three at the same time. He never thought he would meet someone like him. He didn't go out much, nor did he interact with people. But meeting Jonathan, and being able to stand close to him. He wanted to feel special for awhile before everything goes back to normal. Before he leaves tomorrow afternoon, and escape Lui's network. Evan dropped the cigarette that still burned, and gripped Jonathan's sweater. He leaned up and kissed him.

Jonathan responded, he managed to walk Evan off the street while they kissed. He laughed when they had to gain their breaths back, and this time he initiated the kiss. Turning his head to the side and opening his mouth.

Slow and soft, while Evan's was hungry and desperate. His mind swam with the alcohol, with all the things he had done, with Lui's voice fading away into the distance. Nothing else mattered beside this one person.

He felt his hands running along his sides, and it felt so nice, he moaned at the feeling. His fingers dipped lower, pressing against his jeans.

Then it stopped, and Evan almost stumbled back when Jonathan broke the kiss. Evan was about to ask why he stopped, but his words fell at the sight of the black sleek flash drive he received from Lui. And now it was in the hands of this stranger he was kissing.

Jonathan tucked the flash drive in his sweater pocket, and looked at Evan. The lie he displayed to him was gone, replaced by something more calculating. It was unfair. "Early in the afternoon, I accepted a contract to retrieve stolen information in the form of a flash drive. My employer, Mark Mercer, informed me that a loner who has interacted with Lui was likely to have it." He smirked. "It wasn't that hard to find you, Evan."

Evan stepped back, away from Jonathan. "You wouldn't have known that. I went to see Lui afterwards, I gave him the real flash drive with the information on it. That drive you stole has nothing on it."

Jonathan shrugged, "My contract said to retrieve the flash drive from you. If it has the information on it, or not, doesn't matter."

Lui warned him that Mark Mercer might do this. He didn't expect it to happen this fast. At least not in the form of Jonathan, who was inviting the moment he set eyes on him. He was fooled. A joke.

"It was nice meeting you," Jonathan said, and he began to walk away.

Except Evan couldn't let him leave. He ran after him, and before he grabbed Jonathan's arm, he turned and reached for Evan's wrist, twisting it, and pulling a scream from his throat. His leg was kicked, and Evan fell to his knees. Jonathan still gripping his wrist, knelt down, still smiling at him.

"I enjoyed our limited time together, but you're going to have to let it go."

"Fuck you."

"Too bad we couldn't go that far," Jonathan said, he let go of Evan's wrist and continued walking away from him.

Evan rubbed his arm, muttering curses under his breath. He checked for his phone and found it was still in his pocket. He watched Jonathan take a turn down a street, disappearing from sight. He dialed Lui's number, hands shaking from the ordeal, or maybe it was the alcohol still in his system.

He was so damn easy. A bit of alcohol and a smile from a stranger made him warm inside, but it made it easier to manipulate him.

"Reagan," Lui growled, "if you call me back one more fucking—"

"It's me," Evan interrupted, scowling. "Don't you have my name listed?"

"Depends on who it is," Lui replied, going back to his nonchalant tone. "What do you want? Got bored of Pulse so you have to bug me?"

"How do you know I was at Pulse?" Evan asked, but then he shook his head, "never mind about that. The flash drive you gave me, it was stolen."

Lui stayed quiet on the other end, and Evan thought he hung up on him. He heard papers moving around, including the taps of a keyboard, before Lui returned with a sigh in his ear.

"Was it a fixer? Or did you lose it because you're drunk?"

Evan got up from the curb, the world seemed to tip and it took a moment for him not to fall over. He didn't think he was that much of a lightweight. "A fixer...I think. He said Mark Mercer hired him or something about a contract. He took it."

"And did you tell this particular fixer that it wasn't the actual flash drive?"

"Yes. But he didn't care."

Lui hummed. "Most fixers who take up a contract like this usually don't care. There's never the specifics, not like it would do him any good."

Evan nodded, his heart still racing. "I thought they kill people. This one didn't."

"You really need to understand. If it says in the contract to silence you, they would do it. Since this one didn't, he was only told to take it from you in anyway he wants." Silence. "How _did_ he take it from you?"

Evan pressed his tongue to the bottom of his teeth, wondering if he wanted to tell Lui the truth. It was humiliating enough that he was seduced by a stranger. "Does it really matter how he took it from me?"

"No, but it makes me curious why you're not telling me." He sighed, more tapping on a keyboard. "Okay. I want you to meet me."

Evan's brows pinched together, confused. "Why? If he stole a useless flash drive. Why does this matter?" There was something Lui wasn't telling him, and it made him nervous.

"Evan, I'm going to ask you to shut up, and meet me at the address I'm texting you."

"Okay," Evan said, and to his chagrin, Lui hung up. He looked at his messages, and he recognized the address. It was a few blocks away.

He wiped his mouth with his sweater, hoping he wouldn't have to see that man again.


	6. Reminders

Evan crossed the street toward a cab sitting beside the curb. The front lights were on, and there was obviously someone in the front seat. He glanced around, this had to be it, he couldn't see Lui anywhere else.

When he drew near, the front window rolled down, and a man sat in the front, his gaze dark. "Back seat." Is all he said, and rolled his window up.

Evan sniffled, and reached for the door to the back seat and opened it. Lui was sitting with his back against the adjacent door, and his legs stretched along the seats. He was holding his phone in his hands, and another in his lap. There was also a bag sitting on the floor of the cab, and from the looks of it. There was also a laptop inside, including another phone that was still in its plastic casing.

"Get in," Lui said, not looking at him.

Evan slid inside, pushing Lui's legs and slammed the door shut. He looked to the man in the front seat, but he wasn't looking at them. All he did hear was music coming from his headphones. A reassurance that he wouldn't eavesdrop on their conversation.

Lui glanced up at him before rolling his eyes. "You stink." He slid his legs off the seat and dropped the phone into the bag. He pulled the laptop out and placed it on his lap.

"Yeah, I was smoking."

"No shit, Evan," Lui mumbled, pulling the laptop open and turning the screen's brightness down.

"Okay," Evan said, rubbing his hands together. His mouth had gone dry after Jonathan took the flash drive. It was a lot warmer out than he thought, and his clothes made him itch from the thin layer of sweat on his skin. "Are you going to tell me why the fuck a fixer came after me?"

"Yeah," Lui said, and when Evan looked to see what he was doing. He was staring at several security cameras that were set along the street he and Jonathan were on.

"Is that real?" he asked.

"It helps when I need to confirm who I'm looking for," Lui answered, and he smiled at him. "Don't worry, I'm a lot more sneakier than people think I am."

Evan nodded. He knew that was true from what he's been learning in the last day and several hours.

While Lui typed and moved around his mouse, looking for the footage. "I knew someone was going to come after you. So I put false information in the flash drive I gave you, including a virus."

Evan stared at him, his mouth falling open. "What? You made me...your bait?"

Lui narrowed a glare at him. "Don't act surprised, Evan. You're the one that fucked up. It only makes sense that I use you to mend the damage _you_ created. If you had done your job correctly, none of this shit would've happened."

Evan didn't know what else to say. He was shocked that Lui would do this to him, but before he could even say something. Lui found the footage, and Evan's heart raced while he played back the video, stopping exactly where it began. Evan looked away, and Lui clicked his tongue.

"I can see _how_ he stole it," Lui said, sounding disappointed. "You were...seduced."

"Shut up," Evan said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "How was I supposed to know. I never dealt with a fixer before."

Lui exited out of the tab and was on another one that looked like a site full of names. "The best thing to do is to avoid random people hours after you fucked up. It keeps them out of the way during this sensitive time. You should've stayed at Rane's."

Evan said nothing. He knew he fucked up, and too his humiliation he fucked up a second time. He let a guy seduce him in a club, one who gave him cigarettes, and seemed normal. He should've known he was sketchy from the way he was watching him.

Lui clicked on a name with M.M. A list showed up on a white background, names going down the page in black text.

"What are you doing?" Evan asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Looking for the fixers _he_ hired," Lui said, distracted.

"You can find the fixers who they're employed by? I thought that was confidential shit."

"It is," Lui quirked a smile, "but I know some people who like to know these types of shit so others—like me—aren't fucked over."

 _Like me?_ What is that supposed to mean?

"Ah, here it is." He clicked on one more link and it showed three large photo's of three individual's taken by a grainy camera from a far.

The first was a woman with dark red hair and black eyes, she was smiling, wearing a grey coat, and blue jeans.

"Her name is Anna Taylor," Lui said, placing the mouse icon over the name. "She's been a fixer for several companies for some time. No one usually thinks much of her. She tries not to look like she's one of them, but she signed a contract with Mark. She's trying to get her name to the higher ups. Good luck with that."

He scrolled down to a guy with short hair, he had green eyes, and was wearing a simple ripped black shirt. He didn't look interesting, more like someone with a bad family life and maybe a college drop out.

"Ezekiel Roland," Lui said, "he's known to take contracts from club members, but I didn't think he was in the city, or any of them. They don't enter this territory. Mark really wants something he can't have."

The last picture made Evan groan, covering his face with his hands. He recognized the man with short dark hair with brown eyes. He wore a grey shirt beneath his blue sweater. Wearing a devious smirk on his lips, it spoke of his true nature than the one he faked to Evan.

"Jonathan Dennis," Lui spoke, voice flat. "Your seducer—"

"Fuck you."

Lui shrugged, grinning. "I'm just saying it like it is, he did seduce you. He's a lot more discreet than the other two. He's known to kill his targets, either with a knife or a gun at close range. I'm surprised he decided to seduce you instead of kill you. Maybe he knew he shouldn't be doing that shit without authorization."

Evan observed Lui. He didn't know what he meant, but Lui didn't look like he was going to elaborate.

Lui stared at his photo, amusement still plain on his face. "He's smart, I'm giving him that. Smarter than you if he knew getting a kiss from you was going to get him what he wanted."

"Shut up." Evan rubbed his forehead, the alcohol was still in his system. He wasn't nauseous, but the constant reminders that he fucked up annoyed him. He should've known better. He thought Jonathan could ease the pressure that he was incompetent. He was wrong. He turned out to be a fool, one with lust burning through his body at the wrong time.

Lui closed the tab and picked up his phone in his lap that was going off. He looked at it and arched his brows. "Speak of the devil. Anna's in Pulse."

Evan raised his head. "What? Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe she was watching you. She's still there according to Luke. Unfortunately, I have no idea where Ezekiel is, should have the Intel soon."

Evan had the urge to ask who Lui truly was. Except the words wouldn't form. He was too bothered by his incompetence in doing the bare minimum and finding a way to fuck up without meaning too. _He_ was still on his mind, even how much he'd like to forget what transpired. He was quiet, but when he revealed himself. He was smug, less interested in him, and more on making a point that Evan was pathetic.

"Get out," Lui told him, staring at his phone.

Evan frowned, he pushed open the door and stepped onto the road. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

Lui glanced up. "Clean up your mess, what else am I going to do? I never had to do this for one of my subordinates before. Although none of them managed to fuck up like you did."

Evan couldn't help but glare at Lui. He slammed the door shut and tucked his hands into his pockets. Crossing the street, he didn't know where else to go. He thought of going back to Rane's and his apartment was out of the question. Someone must've heard him smashing his computer, they either checked, or it was still a mess. Either way, he couldn't go back, and truthfully, he didn't want too.

Maybe he could head back to Pulse. Except that was where Anna was. And stepping into her line of sight, and finding out why she was watching him wasn't in his best interest. Unlike Jonathan sparing him, he didn't know if Anna or Ezekiel would.

His cellphone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was an unknown number. He was cautious in answering it, and when he did, he heard someone sobbing on the other side.

"Evan," Rane's shrill voice came through, "Evan! Where are you?"

"I'm several blocks away from Pulse," he said, standing in the dark under a tree. "What's going on?"

"It's Brock," she said, more sobs came through. "Brock...he wondered where you went, so he checked outside and when I came after him. He was on the ground, bleeding. I'm not sure what happened, but I called the ambulance. I'm with him right now, we're going to the hospital."

Evan's heart raced, Anna and Ezekiel's faces came to his mind. It couldn't have been Jonathan, there was no point in going back to finish the job. It had to be one of them, they stayed behind, watching who he interacted with. And when one got away from the others, they made their move.

"Where's Brian?" he asked, teetering back and forth.

"He's in the club, I couldn't leave Brock alone...he doesn't know, but I'll text him soon and tell him about it."

"What about your girlfriend? And Luke?"

"I'll call Amie. She'll tell Luke someone stabbed Brock in his territory, he'll do something about it. Right now, I'm scared, he's bleeding and unconscious." Her sobs made him feel guilty. He led the three fixers to his friends, to a place where they could easily blend in and attack. It was his fault. His incompetence managed to hurt Brock who was only worried about him.

"I'll meet you at the hospital," he told her.

"Okay."

He hung up, and he thought of texting Lui, but instead, he called a cab.


	7. Target

Evan paid the cab driver and stepped from the car. He spotted Rane standing near the entrance to the hospital. She was holding a coffee cup in one hand, the other with a cigarette between her fingers. She stared at him, and she looked small and frightened. He strolled toward her, hands tucked in his pockets, and he could see her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"Where's Brock?" he asked, quiet and tense.

Rane closed her eyes, biting her lower lip. She finally pulled herself together and looked at him, her brows furrowed. "Surgery. The knife went into the side of his abdomen. Apparently whoever tried to kill him, almost knicked his heart."

Evan gritted his teeth. Anna and Ezekiel's faces came to mind. They were somewhere hiding in the crowd of people inside Pulse. They almost took out one of his good friends, and they done it without a care in the world. Why attack his friends when they could've attacked him instead? Wasn't he the target? Or were they the message?

"He wondered where you were," Rane continued. Her hands were shaking, and from the stench of alcohol on her breath, she consumed a lot before finding Brock. "He said you were gone for sometime and he wanted to make sure you were okay."

And she followed him, finding him stabbed outside. Amongst many who hadn't seen who stabbed him.

He heard of fixers being more discreet than most. That's why they work for high end companies. They were assassins, cleaners, messengers. People who did things for a high price, and didn't mind getting their hands dirty to get it done. They weren't people to mess around with, and that's what frightened Evan the most about meeting one half an hour ago. Their mouths pressed together and the sweet taste of alcohol numbing his senses.

 _He_ didn't mind playing the part. Pretending to get what he wanted, and in all that time, he could've killed him. The fear pinned him to the spot, made him talk and move to get back something that didn't belong to either of them. Not entirely when it had something dangerous within it.

Rane drank the rest of her coffee and dropped it into the garbage can several feet away from them. She sniffled, taking a drag of her cigarette. "Amie was with Brian and Luke when it happened. After I got off the phone with you, I updated them, made sure they knew what was going. I also told them where you were."

Evan nodded. Relieved that the others knew what was happening, and that they didn't have to worry about them. He was a bit annoyed about the whole _'seducing'_ part, but he'd have to get over that since it managed to get Brock stabbed. Again, a reminder of his incompetence.

His phone went off and he pulled it from his pocket. The caller ID said Lui, and he almost wanted to press END, but instead, he answered it. "Yeah?"

"I found footage of Zeke," Lui said, absentmindedly. "He was the one that stabbed Brock."

Evan's eyes widened, he turned his gaze to Rane who looked at him curiously. "Are you serious? He did it? He stabbed Brock?"

"Who stabbed Brock?" Rane asked, flicking her cigarette to the side, "did someone find out who did it?"

Evan nodded, listening to Lui's voice.

"Yeah," Lui said, sounding uneasy. "From the looks of what I found throughout Luke's footage in Pulse. Jonathan lured you away, Anna stayed to watch anyone who'd follow, when Brock decided to go after you. Ezekiel was outside to make sure that he didn't get far, which included Rane's involvement. It doesn't make the entire situation any better. Fixers always want their shit finished with."

"What does that mean?" Evan asked, confused.

"Meaning, Zeke wanted to separate you from Luke."

Evan's mouth parted. He had no idea why three fixers wanted to separate him from a man he didn't know. This was the only time he met Luke since entering the city and finding employment with Lui. Why would this matter?

"I don't...understand," Evan said, unsure of what else to say.

"Never mind that," Lui told him, "what I found next needs tending too."

Evan pressed his hand against his forehead, tightly closing his eyes. "I have no idea what the fuck you are—"

"Zeke is heading to the hospital to assassinate you and Rane."

Evan opened his eyes. "What?"

Lui chuckled more malicious and indifferent than Evan ever heard since knowing him. "It's exactly what I said, Evan. Zeke is heading over to the hospital to assassinate you and Rane. Fixers don't like loose ends."

"What about Jonathan? He kept me alive?"

"Jonathan's mission was to get the fucking flash drive from you, nothing else. For fuck sakes, think, Evan. I know you're a lot smarter than this."

Evan glared, ignoring Rane's curious gaze. "Shut up, Lui. How the fuck should I know what is going on? I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing being in your world."

Lui laughed, more loud and a bit childish. "Then you shouldn't have stepped into my territory."

He wanted to ask what that meant. What exactly was Lui to everyone else, and particularly, who was Evan supposed to see him as. Nothing was fully adding up, and what he was actually thinking was too much to fathom. He needed confirmation before coming out and saying it.

"I'm almost there."

"What?"

"I'm almost th—" Evan dropped the phone the second the sharp sounds of a gun went off. He grabbed Rane and they both fell to the ground. Rane letting out an ear piercing scream. He glanced to the street, and he could see someone on a black motorcycle with a black helmet covering their head. But he knew it was Ezekiel Roland, he was holding from what he could see was a machine gun. And he were driving off when the alarms to the hospital went off.

Evan got to his feet, half listening to Rane and he raced across the street. He knew he wouldn't catch him while he was on his bike. Except he had this compulsion to know why he was a target. Why they stabbed Brock and wanted to kill Rane? Why, why, why, why was this happening? All he wanted was to stay in one place. Enough to breathe, enough to close his eyes and sleep from a past that whispers in his ears.

As he slowed his pace, his breath harsh in his chest. He almost came to a stop, when he blinked and a yellow cab appeared from the rows of cars, shoving Ezekiel off his bike. It stopped the second Ezekiel hit the ground and his bike skidded to the side. Ezekiel didn't move from the pavement. He must be unconscious.

Evan stared at the yellow car, and he recognized the cab number, it was the same one Lui was sitting in earlier.


	8. Ignorance

Lui jumped out of the cab. And Evan's eyes widened, his hands were shaking at his sides. He could still hear the bullets shattering the glass around them. Rane's screaming in his ear, her fingers clutching his arms. The fear had pulled him to his feet, and what came of it was his mysterious friend.

"Lui, you asshole!" Rane stomped her way toward him, her fingers balled into fists. Her face screwed up into a snarl, her eyes dark, heavy with tears hanging off the rim of her eyelids. She was trembling, but didn't seem to mind as she walked her way toward Lui.

He didn't glance at them. He turned Ezekiel over, pulled off his helmet that hid his face. He looked like his picture Lui had shown him. Dark hair and pale skin. He was unconscious with blood trailing along the side of his face.

"You're still alive," Lui said, gesturing to Evan and Rane. "Come and help me."

"What the fuck is going on?" Rane asked, slapping his hand.

Lui narrowed his eyes at her. "We have to go before security gets here and that'll be in about fifteen seconds if we keep on arguing."

Evan knelt down and grabbed onto Ezekiel's arms, while Lui took the opposite. Rane rolled her eyes and gripped the side of his legs and they dragged him to the trunk of the car.

"What about his bike?" Evan asked, watching Lui open the passenger door.

"Doesn't matter, it's stolen," he answered.

Rane shook her head and slipped into the cab.

"Hurry up," the driver said, glancing in the rearview mirror once Evan got into the car with them. "I don't want to get caught."

"Don't worry," Lui said, "I'll make sure you aren't traced."

They drove out of the hospital parking lot, and Evan noticed several people watching them. Their phones were out, and he was nervous about that. He didn't want his face on their phones. He didn't want anyone to find him. It was bad enough he was unintentionally trapped by Lui.

"Brock is fine, by the way," Lui said once they were a block away. They could already hear sirens and seconds after, two cop cars drove by.

"What the fuck was that, Lui?" Rane asked, her voice sounded harsh, less wobbly. Maybe the violence of almost getting killed had sobered her up.

Lui turned in his seat, holding a phone in his hand. "Luke managed to lead Anna to the rooftop of Pulse."

Evan arched his brows, surprised. He didn't expect that to happen. Lui worked quick. Except, why was Anna on the rooftop?

"Who's Anna?" Rane asked, tilting her head to the side.

Lui stared at his phone. "The chick that stabbed Brock."

"Why is she on the rooftop?" Evan asked, diverting whatever Rane was about to say about Anna. He needed to know what was going on and what exactly Lui was doing, and what he was thinking of doing. There was one thing that came to mind, but it was too much to consider.

Lui glanced up at him. His gaze was empty and cold. There was something dead that Evan only seen slivers of. His voice was less harsh, but calm. Easy. As if he handles these types of questions all the time. As if he knew the answers that Evan didn't want to know. It was dangerous to sit in front of someone like him. A fear that curled his fingers and made him regret his actions, and the words he spoke.

Because he knew and he was acting ignorant, hoping he was wrong.

"I have a friend, Marcel, he's about to assassinate her," he informed them.

Evan's mouth went dry. He knew it. He didn't want it to happen. It felt more like a fantasy. As if he were drifting through a fog, or even water before sinking into its depths. A dream like clouds, falling through the sky.

This was not a dream.

"Don't do this, Lui," he pleaded, his heart racing, his mind reeling. "Don't do this."

Lui looks down at his phone. "She was watching you, Evan. She would've killed you if it wasn't for Jonathan taking the flash drive from you. And her mission changed to Brock, who went after you, and so she attempted to assassinate him. Do you not understand that, Evan? She attempted to assassinate Brock."

"This is a person," Evan said, gritting his teeth.

"She attempted to kill Brock in _my_ territory," Lui said, glaring.

Evan's words fell and more questions piled up. Who was he? And why wasn't Rane saying anything? She was looking down at her hands, breathing hard.

Lui dialed a number and placed his phone to his ear. "Is she in place?" Lui nodded slowly, looking at Rane, then at Evan. "Thanks. I'll have everything taken care of. Call you back later." He hung up the phone, and said, "It's done."

What was going on? Why was this happening?

Lui seemed to notice his confusio, his horrified shock. He sighed, loosely holding his phone. "Mark Mercer is sending out messages meant for me. That he can hurt, retrieve and," Lui made eye contact with Evan, "seduce the people inside my network." Lui shook his head, "You're incompetent, Evan, once again."

Evan said nothing else. He didn't know if he'll ever get the answers he wants. Except the feeling of disappointing Lui again and again bothered him. He didn't want to disappoint him. And yet, here he was. In a single night, he was disobeying, disagreeing, and was angry by everything Lui says and does.

He was mostly angry because he had no idea what was going on. What kind of reality is this? It didn't feel real. How Lui spoke about his _territory_ , it made it seem like he had a gang. He was a leader. Wasn't he? There were people who knew him. His connections clung to everything that Evan didn't know about, and when he came upon it. It was too obvious. How did he not notice this?

In the entire year, he kept to himself. He stayed in a room by himself. Finding a way to stay hidden in this cruel terrible world. And now, he had stepped into Lui's world, and learned things he should've known a long time ago. Never too late, right? Here he was, unsure, questioning who these people were. And who he was to them.

The cab came to a stop in front of Lui's apartment. They got out, and Lui's phone went off. He answered it, waving a hand at the cab driver.

"Hey, Brian," Lui greeted, putting the phone on speaker.

"Is Brock okay?" he asked, sounding out of breath.

"Yeah, he's fine" Rane answered before Lui. She looked at him, solemn on her face, tiredness from the night's events. "Who is Luke?" she asked, her voice breaking, "who is he?"

Lui's emptiness when he declared Anna's death was there in his eyes. It softened to comfort when he stared at Rane. Except his words were simple, but heavy. "Luke is a member of Hastings."

Rane gasped, her hand covering her mouth, and her eyes wide with shock.

Evan, unsure of what that meant, blinked between Rane, the phone, and Lui.

Brian, who was also still on the phone, had gasped. "Are you fucking serious? I was wondering who he was. He was standing ten feet away, and he didn't flinch when Marcel killed Anna. He shot her, and that bastard didn't fucking move when blood sprayed on him. What the fuck, Lui?"

Lui smiled, pride lingering on his lips. "See you later, Brian. Give my regards to Luke. I'll be in contact in the following hours."

"Yeah...okay...see you later, Lui."

He hung up the phone, and Rane was staring hard at Lui. Questions piling up inside her head, anger swirling in her eyes. More shock and disbelief that Evan felt since realizing he had crossed a border he didn't notice he stepped across a long time ago.

Evan felt fear lingering in the air between them. Rane was a part of this longer than he was. Except by her response, she was as ignorant as he is to whatever truth Lui is hiding. Her trust stripped away in a matter of hours. At least Evan wasn't alone in his ignorance.

Evan turned to Rane, placing a hand on her arm, bringing her away from her shock. "Stay with Lui."

Rane recoiled, and Evan caught Lui's amused grin. "What? Why? Where are you going?"

Evan frowned. "You'll be safe."

"I don't need protection," Rane said, gritting her teeth.

"I know," Evan told her, "but you're drunk, and it'll be better if you stayed with Lui. He lives in a crappy apartment. No one has ever tried to kill him, or even attempted to attack him. This Mark Mercer guy sent messages, and not his assassins after him, but us. He's safer. Stay with him for the night."

Rane slowly nodded, her shoulders slumping. "Can you make sure Pierce is okay?"

"Of course."

Lui opened the door for her, and before he walked in, he handed Evan a gun. He stared at it. He wasn't sure when he'll stop feeling confused and shocked by Lui's actions.

"Why do you have that?"

Lui shrugged, nonchalant. "I don't have it, _you_ do."

"I'm not taking that."

Lui nudged it against his chest. "You have too. Those people might try to kill you again, and they might succeed this time."

Evan, hesitantly, took the gun. "I thought this was _your_ territory." He smiled, and Lui rolled his eyes.

"Some people don't listen to authority. I figured out of anyone, _you_ would understand that." And there it was, another secret, something that made Evan go still and stare at Lui who stared back. He knew something, but they weren't able to share. Evan nodded, and he watched Lui walk into the building.

The gun wasn't as heavy as he thought it would be while loaded. He was afraid of the opportunity of ever using it.

Tucking it away, he started down the street. Too many questions unanswered, too many dangers hiding within shadows and around corners.

In this reality, since stepping into it, he had to be ready for the worst.


	9. no choice

It was a long walk, Evan didn't want to take a cab. He needed time to think about what he went through in the last two-three hours. It was difficult to comprehend, at least for him, not understanding this world he was in since a year ago. Only noticing the danger in it when he managed to mess up. Everything came falling around him too quickly, and he wasn't sure what he was meant to do, or how he was intending to fix it.

He hoped he was right that Lui's place was safe. The man was too mysterious, he said and did things with as much authority as a crime boss, but at the same time, a laziness that was like a college student. Maybe that where most of the similarities fell apart. He wasn't entirely lazy if he was able to keep this up, nor did he look the part as a crime boss. He had secrets, that was obvious, but even that he was able to manage without any issue.

How did he become like this? Where was Lui's beginning, and where was his end? Would there ever be an end? He couldn't imagine someone doing anything terrible to him. He was in control of the situation, except even that could be taken from him if he wasn't careful.

Evan shook his head. He couldn't doubt Lui, not now, not ever. It didn't seem like he ever doubted himself. Clever bastard. He better protect Rane, and keep her safe from harm's way. Right now, he had to make sure her house wasn't compromised, and that her brother was still there. He left his bag in the room she offered to him, and wanted to get it back in case he needed to run from the situation.

 _Yes, I admit to being a coward._

No one bothered him on the walk back to Rane's apartment. Everyone seemed to stay in their own world, surrounded by a larger one that was in more control than their own. Or maybe they all knew the truth. Maybe he was always that oblivious to his surroundings. Pathetic.

Evan strolled down the sidewalk and came upon Rane's driveway. A car sat in front of it, a black SUV, clean and shiny with tinted windows. It was nice and unusual in this part of the city.

He walked by it and climbed the front stairs. The door was wide open, and he noticed two men standing in the living room, talking to Pierce, who was still sitting on the couch, looking up at them blandly.

Their voices came to a halt and they turned their attention to him when he stepped past the threshold. Pierce followed their gaze and his brows rose. He stood from the couch, but the two men continued to stare once Pierce walked by them.

"Hey, where's Rane? I heard from Luke what happened at Pulse."

Luke? Pierce called him...he called Luke...a member of another group called Hastings. A group that was as mysterious as Lui, and of the two men who were watching him like he were prey. Ready to rip him to shreds but were unsure of their actions. They didn't even move when Luke was mentioned. Evan recognized those looks, he had seen it a few times since he was tricked.

Jonathan had the same look when he smirked at Evan, mocking him for his pathetic drunken state. And Lui, when he spoke in the cab, and later on, when Lui had green lit the assassination of Anna Taylor, a fixer who was assigned to watch him before she attempted to kill Brock. Their eyes were all the same. A dead fixation, whatever emotional state they once held, the innocence they grew up with was carved from their being and left a shell of a person who carefully held a gun, and pulled the trigger. A set of collapsing pieces that were as jagged as sharp glass when smashed.

A disturbing evocative contact that Evan could barely stomach.

"She's with Lui." It's all he could manage to say, his eyes going to the frayed edge of Rane's forest green, brown, and gold carpet.

Pierce's shoulders sagged and a look of relief flitted across his face. "Good. She's safe."

 _Safe._

What a strange word to describe Lui's apartment, and Lui himself.

"I'm guessing you heard about Brock?" Evan asked, curiously.

Pierce nodded. "Luke didn't shy away from the details." Waving his hand and stepping past the two men. They were more like statues, not moving and were too aware even though they gazes were dead. Pierce plopped back down onto the couch, "Uh...Evan, these are friends of mine, Marcel and Scotty."

Evan regarded them with a smile, but they both looked back at Pierce.

 _Marcel…?_

The assassin who pulled the trigger.

He was standing right before him as if everything was okay. He must've arrived after he killed Anna Taylor.

Why were they all connected together? A pattern he never noticed. Maybe it was always there.

"Are you going to give us an answer or not?" Scotty asked, placing a hand on his hip, frowning at Pierce.

Pierce shrugged, his lips stayed firmly closed. And the silence strained between the four of them, even though Evan wasn't part of the conversation. He did not want to move around these two particular men.

"I don't know why you want me to come along," Pierce said after a minute.

Marcel rolled his eyes and let out an aggravated sigh. Which in turn made Evan tense by whatever he would do. If he was an assassin, ready to kill his targets. He must have skills on normal people like himself and Pierce. Or are they abnormal now that they were in Lui's web?

"Numbers," Marcel said, matter-of-factly. "Never has many gotten far by looking with one pair of eyes."

"And Lui wants us to do this," Scotty added, grinning, "do you really want to disobey a direct order from Lui?"

Pierce's jaw clenched and he let out a groan. "Fine. This isn't going to get us anywhere, I hope you know that."

Marcel shrugged, "All that matters is that we do it. I'll report in to Lui by morning, see how he enjoys our search."

Evan had no idea what they were talking about, but he had the urge to go to his bedroom and sleep this entire night off. The alcohol had finally ceased from his mind, but the nausea and tightness in his head that came from his hangover was closing in. He needed coffee, maybe some Tylenol.

Pierce stood, and he turned his gaze to Evan. "Why don't you come along, Evan?"

Evan's mouth went dry, he caught the subtle movements of Marcel and Scotty in front of him. They didn't say anything, but they waited for his reply.

"It's been a long night," Evan said.

Pierce clasped his hands together. "Yes, it has. But Lui wants us to look into the club downtown, the same one that Nogla went too before he was spiked by the drug, Daydream."

Evan nodded, he figured sooner or later this would come up. "I would rather—"

"Lui would appreciate the help," Pierce cut him off, smiling, "and do you truly want to disobey Lui?"

Evan's comfort fell apart before him. His own hope that he could sleep on a soft bed and forget the night was fading from his mind.

A threat. That's what it was. The same that Scotty used on him, and he knew it would also work on Evan, or anyone who truly knew the extent of Lui's power in this city. Evan was oblivious, and in this show of pressure, he had no choice in the matter.

Pierce smiled, but it wasn't the same friendly smile he usually gave. It was a smile that pulled Evan in and trapped him. Pierce knows the two between them were dangerous, and he also knew that Evan was brand new to this world. The danger was something Evan wasn't clued in on, and if he said the wrong thing, moved the wrong way, he'd forfeit his own life.

Including the possibility of disobeying Lui of all people, who was turning out to be more malevolent than he figured he was when he first met him.

Evan slowly nodded, "Okay. Let's go."


	10. cotton candy

Evan's eyes burned from a lack of sleep, and he silently cursed at the back of Pierce's head. They stood on the other side of Club Harmony. A long line up was on the side, the people were dressed in either dark clothes, or some were covered in incredibly bright neon. The building itself was dark, but once the large heavy door opened, he could hear music coming from inside before going silent. He rubbed his arms, looking at the two men beside Pierce.

Marcel and Scotty.

He was a little scared since meeting them, and they barely said anything to him and Pierce. Keeping their conversation to each other. They acted normal, even after Marcel had killed Anna on top of a building. That was a bit harrowing, and surreal. He was standing in front of a murderer.

Marcel cleared his throat and tucked his phone into his pocket. "Okay. We're good."

"Tony's not going to kick us out again, is he?" Pierce asked, frowning at Marcel.

"No, not this time. I called Lui, and he spoke to Tony that he was a bit suspicious about the people in his club. He called us his _inspectors_." Marcel chuckled and led the way across the street to the bouncer.

He was a big burly man with a shaved head and a trimmed beard. He looked upon the four of them with unease.

Marcel grinned up at him. "Your boss ordered for some health inspectors."

"Oh shit," one of the people in the line up called, "they're shutting the club down!" A group of people groaned, and several moved from the line.

Marcel waved his hand. "Not that kind of inspectors, idiots." He turned back to the bouncer, tilting his head to the side, "I'm sure you don't want to get fired like the other guy, do you, Ronnie?"

Evan furrowed his brows. They must have come here several times to know the bouncers names. Or do all fixers somehow know people's names? Not like they knew his before he met them, at least he hoped they didn't.

Ronnie groaned, stepping to the side and opening the door. "Let's hope I don't find you making a ruckus like last time."

Marcel sneered. "That wasn't my fault. Assholes always shoving me off tables." He shook his head and stepped past the threshold, Scotty and Pierce followed right after, while Evan ducked his head and entered the club.

The sounds were harsh, bouncing off the spray painted walls. It was dark, but there were bright pink, blue, and yellow colors all over the place, including some dark lights that lit the halls and stairwell. Several partygoers loitered around corners, holding drinks or unlit cigarettes between their fingers. Several wore fishnets and black or latex dresses, leather pants, and high boots, or even flip flops. He spotted a girl with long spiky hair, her eyes thick with black eyeshadow and liner, her eyelashes were long. He stared a bit too much, and felt he was underdressed, but it wasn't like he came to Club Harmony to party. He was here because he'd rather not find out what Lui would do if he disobeyed a direct order. Even though it was only Pierce threatening him.

And that he wanted to know what happened to Nogla.

They walked past the bartender who waved her hand at Marcel, Scotty, and Pierce, but they weren't interested in buying drinks of any kind. Once they came to a large area with a DJ on the stage. There were so many people dancing in the room, it was more gritty than Luke's club at Pulse. His was cleaner, and didn't smell of an underground party that was unlike this place.

Marcel turned to them and said, "Don't drink anything."

They separated, but Evan stayed with Pierce who led him upstairs to the second floor. There were small round tables on the sides with bar stools. Pierce picked a table, moved an empty bottle to the side and placed his arms down on top. Evan did the same, but he kept his hands in his lap, watching the people mingle and move around.

It was unlike anything he would find himself in. Parties were too revealing, and he knew that several hours ago when he tried to let go of his fears. Only to be caught in a large spider's web and humiliated on the street.

Evan nudged Pierce and asked, "What do fixers do?"

Pierce leaned forward, "They're hitmen. You hire them to kill someone."

Evan nodded. "I know that, but—"

"Marcel and Scotty are hitmen, fixers for Lui. They don't work for him essentially, they pick whatever contract they want, and sign it." Pierce shrugs, taking the entire information in stride, while Evan had a hard time coming to terms with that.

Jonathan is a fixer. And from what Lui told him, he usually picked contracts that allowed him to kill his targets. So why didn't he kill him? _Jonathan's mission was to get the fucking flash drive from you, nothing else._ Lui always sounded like he knew what he was saying and doing. He mocked others for this, and never seemed to fall from his throne.

Scotty appeared through a group of people. He was ghost, even how tall and lanky he looked, he was able to slip by unnoticed. Evan realized that's what they do. They didn't let themselves be noticed until they want too. It bothered him that Jonathan used the same tactic in Pulse when he managed to catch Evan's attention. He didn't want to be seen until he did.

Scotty sat on the remaining stool and placed the bottle to the side. "We found out there's an exchange going on out back."

Pierce grimaced. "Lui isn't going to like that."

Scotty grinned, excitement surged through his body as he slid from the stool. "Let's clean it up. I'm sure Tony would love to hear what Lui has to say when he finds out."

Pierce let out an agonized groan and indicated for Evan to follow him.

Of all the things he witnessed all night, this was the last thing he wanted. A drug exchange. Evan followed Pierce past a group of people, down the steps after Scotty who was heading for the back doors to the club. The halls were crowded with people, but not as much when they closed in on the lone steel door that Scotty shoved open.

Evan slowed his pace, and glanced to the side to see an extremely blonde haired girl leaning against the wall. She was by herself in a white dress, glitter covered her face and hair. And her pupils were enlarged. She gave him a sly smirk, waving at him.

"Should you be here?" he asked her, stopping in the center of the hall. She was young, maybe around the age of nineteen or twenty.

"I'm a look out," she replied, stepping closer to him, her hand touched his arm and brought him closer to her. "And you're a pretty boy."

Evan thought of Jonathan, of Ezekiel shooting the glass of the hospital in hopes of killing himself and Rane. Lui's deadpan expression, speaking ill truth while keeping his secrets to himself. It all came down to the sharp end that he was the cause. It was deafening.

"I'm not a boy," he replied, leaning closer to her.

She grinned, her lids slightly closed. "Kiss me."

And he did. He kissed her out of spite of Jonathan who lied to his face to get something false in his pocket, and Lui who didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth. He kissed her, tasted the sweetness of candy on her tongue, and thought about the car accident that shoved him forward onto the path he lived.

He moved back, and she laughed, and his mind spun with uncertainty that a kiss could make him feel this way. She brought her drink to his lips and he took a swig of it. Letting the coldness rush down his throat, burning him from within. Except there was something different about it. Instead of the ugly taste of hairspray, or even something metal like a coin. It was completely sweet, a candy rolled up in his mouth that numbed his senses. He stepped back, and the girl laughed her cotton candy laughter, and the hallway began to strain in his eyes.

"What's...What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, taking a vial from her pocket with something blue and purple inside of it. She uncorked it and dumped the contents into the bottle he was drinking. "Are you having a _daydream_ , little boy?" She laughed again, sweet, too sweet, that he stumbled away from her. The opposite way of the door Pierce and the two fixers disappeared through.

He needed to get away, but the bright lights were harsh in his eyes, and his body was so warm. The music throbbed inside his head, and he could think of nothing, but Lui shaking his head, telling him he was incompetent. And he thought of Jonathan, and the kiss that he gave him.

He slammed through a door, and everything faded under his feet.


	11. tolerate

This was probably the first time Evan regretted his life. Sweat cooled his heated skin as he staggered down the bright lit streets filled with people who laughed, and vehicles driving by in a stream of light. He fell twice on the hard pavement, breathing heavily through his dry mouth that still tasted of the sweet liquid the girl had given him. The alcohol was there, but the drug was too much. Too constant in his head, that when he leaned against the cement wall to catch his breath, he tried to push it out of his head. He tilted over and over like a spinning top. Never truly stopping, and then he blacked out. He's not sure where he's going, or even how he ended up sitting on the edge of a sidewalk with his hands gripping the sides of his head to keep it from popping off his neck like a doll.

Twice. It happened twice, and he was a fool to think it wasn't a trap only for it to end up as one. He knew he shouldn't have left Pierce's house, or even disobey the command of the fixer who told him not to drink anything. He simply went and did it. Out of selfish want that ached in his body. The drug, Daydream, had lasted hours. And from the way the sun had rose, he was thinking it was about seven to seven-thirty in the morning, and he had no idea where he was.

Evan's head throbbed painfully that it was hard to open his eyes. He knew he had thrown up, but wasn't sure when. The raw taste of alcohol and stomach bile was still on his tongue. Another reminder of how strong the drug was, and deadly it truly was if he had taken more of it. Things could be a lot worse.

He should visit Nogla when he has the time to clear out his thoughts and get himself together.

Evan spent a bit more time sitting on the sidewalk, feeling the crisp morning wind that he hoped could wake him up. If he slept on the ground, he wasn't interested in waking up in the hospital with either alcohol poisoning or a drug overdose. He wasn't an addict of any kind. He slipped up, that's all. He should really think of his priorities when someone pretty offers him something. It always seems to fuck him over in the end.

He didn't hear it at first, but he felt the difference in the wind, in the pressure around him. Someone was looking at him, and when he blinked his eyes open. A shadow casted over him and he raised his head, staring up at the last person he wanted to see.

"You're a mess," Jonathan commented with a grin.

Evan groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Fuck off."

"Are you mad that I tricked you?" he asked, amusement laced in his words.

He didn't have time for this. Standing up, and glaring at Jonathan who watched him, his gaze going along Evan's body as he staggered back and breathing hard. There was a flicker of something in his eyes, but it faded bef ore he could figure out what it was.

"I don't care if you tricked me. Where's the flashdrive?"

Jonathan patted his pant pocket. "Still with me."

 _He didn't give it up? Why? What the hell was going on?_

Evan panted, he almost fell back, but Jonathan reached for his wrist and stabilized him.

"You're drunk?"

Evan sneered at him. "Don't think this is because of you. I was busy at...Harmony." He didn't exactly know why he was there. He couldn't remember the details.

"Harmony?" Jonathan mused, "you were at another club? What happened? Took too many shooters and forgot your way home?"

Evan shook his head, groaning when the movement made him dizzy. He noted Jonathan was still holding his wrist. "I don't have a home," he said, glaring at Jonathan. "After I got caught, I lost my home, I lost everything, and now I'm trapped in Lui's fucking web, and you fucked everything up for me. I could've been gone last night, one fucking drink, and one...stupid…" he shook his head, hating himself again for what he wanted and craved.

"One night and you would've fucked off?" Jonathan asked, chuckling. "Aren't you romantic."

"Doesn't matter," Evan said, wobbling a bit to the side, "you don't know me, and I don't know you. So, why should it matter if we had one night? We would've went back to our fucking lives. But that didn't happen." He recalled the gun, and with his free hand, he felt his sides and touched the outline of the gun still tucked inside his sweater.

"I would've made it a really special night," Jonathan said, smiling, "would've made you wished you didn't leave."

Evan glared at him, but he couldn't deny the warmth washing over him. His heart pounding in his chest, and whatever arousal that he was denied during the night returned and settled inside of him. The alcohol and the drug did not help him at all, his body listening to his instincts instead of his own rage.

He fumbled inside his sweater and felt the handle of the gun, but when he pulled it out. Jonathan was a lot more skilled than a drugged and alcohol addled hacker who had no training in killing someone. He twisted Evan's wrist when he grasped the gun, and slipped it from his fingers, shoving Evan back against a wall which left him groaning by the flash of pain. The gun was dropped onto the grass several feet away, and Jonathan kept him pinned against the wall in under five seconds.

Except Evan wouldn't have gone for the gun anyway. He could barely focus on what was happening, and what occurred during the late night. He didn't even know what street he was on.

"Where'd you get the weapon?" he asked, all his amusement vanished from his tone, and the boredom returned, his eyes held nothing in them.

Evan looked away, not wanting to witness the sudden change that made him sick to his stomach. What made it worse was that he was still aroused, and he hoped it didn't show.

"Guess," Evan said, grinning. Jonathan can change his demeanor any time he wanted, but Evan was too fucked up to care.

He leaned forward, and Evan blinked when Jonathan breathed him in. "You threw up not too long ago," he wrinkled his nose, "and you smell like Vodka."

"And Daydream?" Evan asked, his mouth parched, and his body was so warm that he longed for a more substantial contact than what he was currently getting.

Jonathan frowned. "You took Daydream?"

Evan nodded, chuckling, but Jonathan didn't look amused in the least. "I kissed this girl." Jonathan furrowed his brows, but said nothing. "And she tasted like cotton candy." Evan laughed, finding the entire thing hilarious. "He said not to drink anything, but I couldn't help myself. I was mad that you fucked me over."

"So you go and kiss a girl?" Jonathan asked, incredulous. "You're like a spiteful girlfriend."

Evan pouted. "I didn't want you to be part of Lui's world."

"Aren't _you_ a part of Lui's world? What does that even mean?"

His mind was so fuzzy, he had no idea what the hell he was saying. He tried stopping the words from flowing, but he couldn't. The world was tipping, and he was so close to Jonathan that he couldn't help, but say what is on his mind.

Jonathan sighed, his hand went down to Evan's, and he laced their fingers together. "Come on, I'll take you to my safehouse. You can sleep there and get a hold of yourself."

Evan shook his head. "I'm not supposed to be with you."

"Lui's now your mother?" Jonathan mocked, dragging Evan to the gun, he checked the sides before placing it into his sweater. "The safety was on by the way."

Evan glared. "Let go."

"You're drunk, you're on a drug, and you have no idea where the fuck you are," Jonathan said, turning back to look at Evan who was a bit taken back by his harsh tone. "Just come with me, I'll let you crash on my couch. Then, when you wake up, I'll kick you out and you can crawl your way back to Lui."

Evan frowned, letting Jonathan drag him down the street. "I don't like that plan."

"Too bad. You seem to get yourself in stupid shit, and it seems others always have to clean it up for you."

"Great, now you're calling me incompetent," Evan said, shaking his head. He gritted his teeth and shuddered. It was cold, and he was sick and tired.

"You're not incompetent," Jonathan said, "just new."

Which is another way of saying he was incompetent in the world he lived in. He didn't like thinking about it, and it was something he wasn't going to tell Jonathan. He didn't need to know how he got into this world, but he wished everyday that he wasn't. Although, he wouldn't have met the people he came across.

Least of all, he wouldn't have met Jonathan who somehow found him in a city filled with so many people, and still tolerates him. He knew that even if Jonathan was being nice, or he was going to stuff him somewhere for crows to feast on him. He had to get the flashdrive from him. He had to make things right.

Jonathan fucked him over, it was only right Evan did the same thing.


	12. adverse effects

Jonathan holds him the entire time during their staggering walk back to his _safe house_ which turned out to be a warehouse situated between two other warehouses. He takes a key from his jacket and unlocks the door, and steps into the dark hall that leads to another door. Evan is a little hesitant, but when Jonathan flicks the light on, Evan understands the word _safe house._

"How long have you been living here?" he asked, holding the doorpost.

The entire room is clean with two red leather couches on the side across from a 25 inch flat screen, the rugs are clean and beautifully designed with reds, golds, and black. He spots the kitchen in the back with a bit of pots filled with thriving plants, and clean dishes. A bedroom to his left with a queen sized bed, the blanket smoothed out, including the white pillows.

"Not that long," Jonathan replied, slipping off his shoes, including his jacket. He strides to Evan and helps him take his own sweater off, including his shoes. Evan is a bit occupied looking around the room, and he lets Jonathan lead him to the bed. "You can sleep here until you wake up."

Evan nods. "Yeah." He tastes the sugary powder in his mouth, but knows it's not sugar. Including the raw aftertaste of alcohol he consumed. He hadn't noticed until he sat down on the bed but his body ached, including his feet.

"Are you usually a lightweight?" Jonathan asked, a smile tugging on his lips.

Evan frowns. "I'm not a lightweight. Daydream did a lot more than I thought it would do."

"How much did you take?" he asked.

Evan shook his head, recalling the flashing lights in the club, the smell of perfume and cologne mixing together, including sweat and stagnancy. All of it rolling in waves while he tried to escape, but losing himself. He hit the floor several times until he managed to locate the door. Most of the night was a blur until the girl in white let him taste the inside of her mouth. An intoxication he should've considered when the assassin told him not to drink anything, and once the bottle touched his lips, he did just that.

"The girl—"

"Yes, the girl," Jonathan said, placing his hand on Evan's chest and pushing him down onto his back.

Evan covered his eyes with his hands. "You made me fuck up."

"Me?" Jonathan asked, chuckling, "I'm pretty sure you're the one who fucked up on your own."

"I could've been gone by now," Evan said. His entire body was heavy, and he dropped his hands on his sides, staring at the white ceiling. "I could've left this all behind."

Jonathan patted Evan's knee. "Maybe you should watch yourself when you get drunk."

"It's a fucking club," Evan nudged Jonathan, but not enough to shove him off the bed, "what else am I supposed to do but try and hook up?"

"Dance. Drink. Go home," Jonathan said, rising from the bed. "You should've stayed home."

Evan glared. "Like I said, I don't have a home. Mark Mercer fucked me over with a damn fixer."

Jonathan grinned. "Go to sleep, Evan."

Evan watched him walk away. He knew that he wouldn't understand. He was a fixer, someone who's proficient at ruining lives and getting rid of them. This job he picked up was possibly his easiest one he chose. And Evan only made it more easier by getting drunk, seduced, and later more drunk.

He was a hacker. Nothing more, nothing less. It never managed to ease his pain that resided within his chest. Where it pulsed and ached and sometimes he wished to rip it out. To stop it from reminding him of all he lost, and what he has to live with.

Evan rolled to the other end of the bed, grasping the blankets and covering himself with them. Once cocooned, he closed his eyes in the heat and let his mind drift apart until sleep welcomed him.

The first part of his dream that formed into view was the cold surrounding him, but also the indication of a road, and his back against a building. His stuttered breath as Jonathan leaned forward and Evan closed his eyes the moment their lips touched. His heart fluttering like butterfly wings, and he wanted to hold onto Jonathan for as long as he could. To stay on the ground, to feel something besides the abyss within his heart. He wanted to be saved, but he can't vocalize it besides a tear sliding down his cheek, and wiped away by a cold hand.

He opens his eyes when he recognizes the taste of cotton candy on his tongue. He gasps, shuddering, as he steps away from the girl in the hallway covered in incandescent lights from the party down the hall. She smiles and laughs, her eyes a bright white as she drips a thick metal needle of Daydream into the clear glass Vodka bottle that he had drank. The purple and blue mixed into a cloudy sparkling color that begins to thicken and corrode the glass.

He steps back and turns, looking at Lui who is on the phone. His gaze empty as he stares at Evan.

He shakes his head, his words trembling, "Don't do this, Lui. Don't don't do this."

"It's done," Lui said.

The dream melted away but the gun fire is what jolted Evan awake. He gasped, fighting the blankets around him and almost falling off the bed. He sucks in several deep breaths, fingers knotting into the fabric. He's able to assess that what he seen was only a dream, and the throbbing on either side is his hangover.

"Holy fuck," Evan mutters, placing a hand on the side of his head. He slides off the bed and walks to the kitchen, but he looks over to the living room and finds Jonathan lying on one of the red couches. Glancing around, he meanders toward him, and stares blankly at his sleeping face. "What the fuck." And unfortunately the moment fell apart when he slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes widened. His headache got worse to the point that his stomach decided to react as well, and he found the bathroom without any trouble before throwing up into the toilet.

His skull rang as his body lurched, gripping the toilet and squeezing his eyes closed. He heard a soft movement somewhere outside of the bathroom, but he was a little preoccupied with his own issue to deal with it.

"You need some water?" Jonathan asked, obviously amused as he stands in the doorway.

Evan whimpered, nodding. His entire body is tense yet shaking from the exertion, that his own headache is making the small room tilt back and forth. He throws up a bit more until he noticed he was dry heaving. He reaches for the bottle Jonathan left on the sink. And he downs the entire thing, spitting some out, then washing his face and hands in the sink. He doesn't look when he flushes the toilet before staggering from the room, exhausted and regretting his life. Not like that's anything new.

He looks to his left where Jonathan is smiling quite smugly on the red leather couch. He almost has the urge to do something terrible, but looking around, and feeling sick, he isn't sure what he could possibly do. While he was thinking of some dark thoughts, Jonathan decided to get up from the couch and walk over to him.

"I have some Tylenol," he says.

"Okay?" Evan wonders, annoyed.

Jonathan rolled his eyes, he placed a hand on Evan's arm and dragged him to the couch. "You're being a little stubborn." They both sit down, and Evan looks down at the water bottle, a white bottle of pills, and a lone white pill sitting beside it.

The dream returns in flashes, and Evan winces, and he notes Jonathan's hand falling from his arm and reaching for the water and pill.

"It'll get rid of your hangover for awhile."

Evan stares, unsure. "That's not some kind of sedative, right?"

Jonathan turned toward him, "I could've killed you in that alley."

"Not something I wanted to hear," Evan mutters, glaring at the kitchen and the plants, but mostly at his own feelings of the night before.

"I had a choice. I could've, but I didn't. And since then, I haven't tried. However," he nudged Evan who turned his attention back to him, "you attempted to kill me."

Evan scoffs. "The safety was on."

"You didn't know that. Which do you prefer, dying or living?"

He glares and takes the pill and water bottle from his hand. "You should've killed me instead of seducing me."

Jonathan shook his head. "Be glad you're still alive to keep up that stubborn streak."

Without saying anything, he takes the pill and drinks the water. Hoping it could rid him of his headache. The second he placed the water bottle down, he noticed the outline of a gun in Jonathan's blue sweater. He looks away, wondering how he's going to get the flash drive from a trained professional.

He doesn't have to think about it too much until a vibration diverts his attention. Surprised he still has his phone in his pocket and that Jonathan hadn't taken it from him. Lui's name is in the center of the screen. He glances at Jonathan who sits back against the couch, staring at Evan's reflection in the TV across from them.

With a sigh, he answers the phone.

"You have every opportunity to do what you have too," Lui says before Evan could greet him.

Frowning, he looks around the room. "You know?"

"Of course I know. I didn't give you the phone out of the goodness of my heart."

"Thanks, I really thought you were paying me back for the one I had to break because of the mission _you_ gave me."

"You wouldn't need to have broken it if _you_ did the fucking job right," Lui said, sounding more impatient each time Evan brought it up.

Finally, out of all the discomfort and annoyance that came Evan's way. He managed to smile and feel a little less like an asshole. "It was nice hearing from you, but apparently I'm an incompetent hacker, and I'm not a killer. You might want to hire some of your known _fixers_ to do that."

Lui scoffed. "Yeah, some of my _fixers_ don't want to go near Jonathan fucking Dennis of all people. They heard about his reputation, and let me tell you, I'm surprised you're with him right now, alive and well. Did _you_ seduce him this time?"

Evan scowled. "I didn't do anything. I got drugged, by the way."

Lui hummed, and Evan heard a faint tapping sound. "Where?"

"Harmony."

"My _fixers_ did say you went M.I.A. At least I know why. By what?"

Evan wiped sweat from his forehead. "Uh. Daydream."

The tapping stopped. "Are you okay?"

"Don't do that, I don't need you randomly caring about me—"

"Shut up, Evan. I want to know if you're okay. I don't think you should be with a fixer if you're sick. Daydream has adverse effects."

Evan nodded, leaning back against the couch and ignoring the feeling of Jonathan staring at him. "I'll be fine." He giggled, but in his ears, it sounded strange. "I'll be fine. I'll call you later." He hung up and dropped his hand, his phone slipped from his fingers and he heard it hit the floor.

Jonathan sat up and looked at him, he placed his hand on his forehead as Evan stared up at him. "You're heating up."

Evan smiled, chuckling. "I'm going to get that flash drive from you."

Jonathan smiled back. "I'd like to see you try."


	13. Blur

Evan splashed water onto his heated face. He gripped the sides of the ceramic sink and let out soft agonized pants. His chest hurt from a fevered burn or maybe he simply has heart burn. He couldn't tell, not when his migraine throbbed and made all lights and sounds unbearable.

He tried his best to ignore Lui's voice cluttering his thoughts, but his condescending, righteous voice penetrated all of his attempts. He stared in the mirror at his tired eyes and hanging mouth.

Evan pulled the white soft towel from the hook and dried his face. He spit into the sink when it built up in his mouth, but found himself parched. Annoyed, he draped the towel back onto the hook and leaned against the door to the bathroom.

This was enough space from the fixer he could get, even when the fixer watched him peculiarly when the adverse effects began. Evan could handle it, he managed to for the last hour, even how much he wanted to throw up into the toilet. His hangover wasn't in the least helping either. A reminder of his ordeals the other night replayed in his head, and it pulled a painful groan from his lips.

To his surprise, his phone in his pocket started to vibrate. Confused, he pulled it out and looked at the caller ID, expecting Lui again, but this time it was Pierce. He checked the lock to the bathroom before answering the call.

"Hey."

"Evan, you're alright?"

"Yeah," he replied, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the door. "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? You disappeared last night, and when we got a hold of Lui, he told us to stop looking. He's fucking vague, but I still worry."

Guilt, a disturbing empty ache, crawled into his stomach along with the roiling nausea. "Sorry. I got too drunk last night and wandered off. I'm fine now."

Pierce let out a sigh. "I hope you are." He cleared his throat, "Lui's fixers and I didn't find the one who drugged Nogla. The drug dealers in the back weren't exactly official, but Lui didn't care."

 _Why would he?_ Evan wondered, remembering all the false lies and truths that came from Lui. The feeling of some importance hung like a crown, or even a cape. And Lui's word seemed like a sword, one that cut deep and always found its mark.

"Early morning, Nogla was released from the hospital."

Evan's eyes flashed open. "Really?"

"Yeah," Pierce replied, relief in his voice. "Lui picked him up with Rane."

Disappointment clung to Evan's smile and he silently swore at Lui who should've told him when he was on the phone with him. Why keep this a secret? Or was being with the fixer more important? Maybe Lui wanted Evan out of the way for awhile. It's not like he had a deep bond with Nogla that Lui did.

"I see. Well, I might go see them soon, once I find some Tylenol."

"Alright. I hope to see you in a few hours."

"Yeah," Evan said, sullen, "see you." And then he hung up, leaned his head back against the door and sighed. Since he failed the mission with Mark Mercer, it's been difficult with each passing hour. Another incident brought him closer to another mistake, and he couldn't seem to find his way out of it.

Now that Nogla was out of the hospital, Evan wanted to go see him. He tucked his phone back into his pocket and left the bathroom. The cold air in the living room brushed against his face and he shivered. He glanced around for the fixer, but the warehouse was empty, and the silence was deafening as Evan moved around the furniture to the couch where he picked up his sweater. He pulled it on, hoping for warmth to ease the fever from his skin.

The front door opened and the fixer entered, glancing at Evan, at the sweater pulled around his body, before he shut the door. "You're leaving?"

"Thinking about it," Evan replied, sitting down.

Jonathan walked by with a white plastic bag that was full of two cartons of juice and fruit. He set them down on the table where he unpacked them. Humming a song as he placed them into the fridge. Once he was finished, he reached for a small white bottle and picked up a glass from the cupboard. Once he filled it with water, he walked over to Evan. He was still humming when he sat down, passing Evan the glass, and unscrewing the cap where a single white tablet fell into his awaiting palm.

"You look sick."

"Thanks," Evan said, taking the pill from him. He plopped it into his mouth and drank the entirety of the glass before passing it back to Jonathan.

He watched him head back to the kitchen as the questions he wanted answered formed into his head. The one of a lone girl on top of a roof while a sniper is trained on the back of her head, and the boy on the motorcycle getting hit by a yellow cab before being kidnapped. He hoped to avoid it, but knew he couldn't, even how much Lui wanted him too, and how much Evan wished it was all a dream. None of it was, and his curiosity was too raw.

"Can I ask you something?" Evan asked, standing and walking over to Jonathan who turned around once he placed the glass on the counter.

"What?" he asked, reaching for the dish towel and drying his hands.

Evan sucked in a breath, and calmed the tension coiling in his body. "Do you know the other fixers that Mark Mercer employed?"

"Other fixers?" Jonathan asked, confused.

 _He didn't know? How could he not?_ Was it the fever, the effects from the drug, and the hangover that was making him think Jonathan was saying something he wasn't, or were they true?

"Anna Taylor and Ezekiel Roland. They were the other fixers Mark had employed that night when you took…" Evan glanced at Jonathan's sweater pocket before glancing up at him, "the drive from me."

Jonathan leaned against the counter, shaking his head. "I don't know them. Never spoke or even worked with them before. I usually work alone anyway, most fixers do."

Why did this feel wrong? That entire night was chaos, threads moving in and out of the area that he had started, and Lui had tried unknotting. One second, he was running, the other he was being threatened, then his life almost became premature, but a girl had died because of his own mistakes. And now, he was speaking to a fixer who has no idea what was actually happening that night. Maybe that was the point. He wasn't meant to know, none of them were.

It kept things easy. Now he knew a small part of Lui's perspective when he kept his own fixers and hackers from knowing each other. At least not too much like his friendship with Pierce.

"Anna stabbed Brock, he and Rane went to the hospital when I was with you," he told him, feeling oddly numb, and it was worse when Jonathan's expression didn't change. "Because of this, Ezekiel tried assassinating the both of us, and possibly would have killed Brock if he succeeded."

"You had a fun night," Jonathan said, but he wasn't smiling, and Evan figured it wasn't meant to be amusing or even sarcastic.

Evan gave a small nod. "Because of these assassination attempts. Anna was killed, and Ezekiel was kidnapped, all done by Lui."

Jonathan looked at the floor, and Evan was reminded by how he outwitted and seduced him, and that he had taken the drive, and haven't seen Mark Mercer since. He kept it close, the drive, inside his pocket. He was confident enough that it wouldn't be taken from him, and that confidence was irritating.

"Why didn't you take the drive to Mark Mercer?" Evan asked, wanting that answer, desperate and eager for it.

Jonathan raised his head and quirked a smile. "You don't know this from the ignorance you have displayed since I've met you." Evan sneered as Jonathan straightened, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I was once part of Messenger Assault, just like Mark Mercer."

Evan frowned. "You were? I thought it was destroyed a long time ago."

"It was," Jonathan nodded, "I'm one of the remaining members. I was a child at the time when Hastings destroyed it, killed off the fixers, burned everything to the ground. They did their best to put everyone six feet under."

 _Hastings._ That name again, the one that shocked Brian and Rane, and who worked for Lui. Who Evan had seen back at Pulse, who owned Pulse, and led Anna to the roof where she was killed. Who were they?

"Most of the members like myself," Jonathan said, continuing with the story, "created the groups that are still slightly relevant, DeadEye and Dusk. I didn't join up with any of these groups, and someone who was an original member of one that is now considered dead are called Rogue's."

 _Rogue's._ It makes sense. He works alone, no one to lead him, no one to instruct his movements, but easier to kill and forget. Jonathan truly made sure that he stayed alive as long as possible. It was frightening.

"My services are easy, and I'm hoping for less of a confrontational discussion with my employer, but since Mark Mercer is also an original member. I decided to come to him when he hired me."

"What was wrong with the other groups?" Evan asked, he was still a little confused by the organizations, were they government or independent.

"Most answer to the government now," Jonathan shrugged, looking away from Evan and casting a disdainful glance at the wall. "Some are independent, but I don't take notice anymore. I thought I could trust Mark Mercer."

Evan furrowed his brows. "Trust? You don't trust him?"

Jonathan grinned, he pulled the drive from his pocket. "For a hacker, you're not as perceptive, but I'll blame that on your current condition."

"Are you insulting me?"

"No, but I thought maybe it was obvious why I'm still holding onto the drive."

Was it obvious or was it his headache that was making all the threads around him blur. "What are you talking about?"

Jonathan waved the drive at him. "I'm not giving him this drive, I'm going to use its purpose against him."


End file.
